


5 Times Jack Saw Bitty Skate + 1 Time He Said Hello

by KatherineAJones



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bitty kept figure skating, Gen, Growing Up, Jack has the same life, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24113230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatherineAJones/pseuds/KatherineAJones
Summary: Pop hits blared over the speakers. Most of the kids were clinging to the boards or their parents, but a blond boy near the center of the rink caught Jack’s attention as he did small jumps and spins, the tip of his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle & Jack Zimmermann, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 3
Kudos: 167





	5 Times Jack Saw Bitty Skate + 1 Time He Said Hello

_Part 1_

The first time Jack saw Bitty skate, Jack was ten and Bitty was five. 

Jack’s dad was in Atlanta for a game against the Thrashers and Jack had decided he wanted to go with him since he was on winter break. Jack had begged his mom to take him skating while his dad was at practice – saying he wanted to be just like his dad and practice all the time to get better. 

Pop hits blared over the speakers. Most of the kids were clinging to the boards or their parents, but a blond boy near the center of the rink caught Jack’s attention as he did small jumps and spins, the tip of his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration. 

Jack stuck to the sides at first, just gliding along with the other skaters and glancing at the boy every now and then, but eventually he started weaving in and out of the other skaters, picking up speed. 

Jack knew he was a good skater, but it was intimidating to see someone so much younger do things he couldn’t do. 

He was building up the courage to skate up to the boy and ask how to do what the blond was doing when the other boy looked towards where people were watching and skated towards them. He hopped off the ice and walked over to two blonde women. One took his hand and the other guided them towards the front room of the rink. When they disappeared through the swinging door, Jack turned back to focusing on his own skating, sorry to miss the opportunity to learn, but ready to practice what he already knew. 

_Part 2_

The second time Jack saw Bitty stake, he was fifteen and Bitty was ten. 

His cousin Liam was in a national figure skating competition – his first one – and had asked the whole family to come. Jack’s mom was filming in the city, so he and his dad flew out to visit her and watch his cousin skate. 

Jack wasn’t really sure he understood figure skating, but he respected it. He knew that feeling of flying across the ice, though he couldn’t imagine it not being ended by running into someone’s shoulder. The music was weird, though. And the sparkly outfits, that was definitely different. And he didn’t know what he would do without his team on the ice with him. 

They’d already watched the “short” skating routines and were onto the “free” skate. There was one more skater before Liam’s skate, and he was skating onto the ice at that moment, taking his opening pose. Over the loudspeaker, the announcer said, “Up next is Eric ‘Bitty’ Bittle, skating his free skate to ‘Little Bitty Pretty One.’” 

The upbeat song started and Jack watched as Bitty glided across the ice, jumping and spinning and looking like he was having the time of his life. At the end, members of the crowd threw flowers and stuffed animals down onto the ice. Bitty picked up as many as he could and waved and smiled as he skated off the ice. He was greeted at the edge by two blonde women – one short and smiling through her tears as she hugged him, the other tall and squeezing his shoulder with a proud look on her face – and a brunette man awkwardly holding the stuffed animals the boy had brought over. 

Jack pulled his eyes away from the blond boy – Bitty, the announcer had said – and to the middle of the ice where his cousin was getting ready for his own free skate. 

At the awards ceremony, Liam won second and Bitty won third. Jack couldn’t be sure if he was really seeing a glint of determination in Bitty’s eye or if it was just a trick of the lighting.

_Part 3_

The third time Jack saw Bitty, he was eighteen and Bitty was thirteen. 

Hidden away in his family home after his overdose, Jack was staring bleakly at the TV, flipping channels and trying to avoid the news. An ice rink filled the TV and he paused, wondering if it was a hockey match, before he registered the lone figure in the middle of the ice and the soft notes of starting music. 

He didn’t entirely process what he was watching, eyes simply following the blurry figure moving across the ice and letting the music wash over him. 

His ears perked up, however, when he heard the familiar name of Eric “Bitty” Bittle, followed by “who will be performing his short skate to ‘Prince Caspian Flees.’” 

Jack sat up and leaned forward, curious to see how much Bitty had improved since he skated against Liam. He was perfectly in time with the music, but also picked up subtleties of the bass and kept up with how the music crescendoed into a race of stringed instruments. Vocals came in and Bitty performed increasingly complex spins and jumps, refusing to let the music get ahead of him. A moment of still, and then back into the action, before the music finally ended but refused to resolve. 

At the end of the four and a half minutes, Jack realized Bitty had gone blurry as he waved and smiled to the crowd. He blinked to clear his vision and tears rolled down his face. He needed to get back on the ice. 

Jack stayed transfixed by the skaters, soaking in every bit of ice he could get until he could get back on it himself. The next day, Jack turned the TV on again for the men’s free skates. 

Once again, Eric Bittle was announced to be skating, this time to Beyoncé’s “Diva.” He was clearly having a great time skating to this song, though the cameras caught a couple of raised eyebrows and open mouths. 

Jack kept watching the 2010 Junior Worlds Figure Skating Championships – as the announcer called them – through Bitty’s hug-filled exit from the ice (there were two blonde women with him again, both beaming with pride), the rest of the free skates, and all the way to the awards ceremony. Bitty won second place, grinning and waving to the crowd. 

_Part 4_

The fourth time Jack saw Bitty, he was twenty-two and Bitty was seventeen. 

It was the 2014 Winter Olympics and the team was all gathered around the Haus’s living room TV to watch as many events as they could between classes and practices. 

Jack had already heard Eric “Bitty” Bittle would be on the U.S. Figure Skating Team that year and was eagerly awaiting the event so he could see how the other boy had improved since 2010. 

Finally, the day arrived, and Jack sat entranced as skater after skater took the ice before the commentators said, “Eric ‘Bitty’ Bittle of the U.S. team will now be skating his short program to ‘A Knife in the Dark’ by Howard Shore. _Lord of the Rings_ fans may recognize it from _The Fellowship of the Rings_ soundtrack. It’s rather remarkable we’re seeing him out here at all – he took a nasty fall not long after the Junior Worlds in 2010 and there were questions of if he’d be able to fully recover in time to compete here. He’s performed well this season, however, taking home the bronze in this year’s ISU Grand Prix. Many people are anticipating great things from him here today and in the coming years.” 

Jack became worried when he heard about Bitty’s injury, having apparently missed the initial story in his attempt to avoid ice-related news while recovering, but he let the running commentary fade away in favor of watching Bitty skate. Jack didn’t know enough of the technicalities of the jumps and spins – and the mistakes that were possible for each – to understand why the crowd sometimes sounded disappointed and other times excited, but he could tell they felt primarily the latter. 

Bitty finished with a flourish and skated off with his arms full of flowers and stuffed animals, smiling and waving at the crowd. He was greeted at the gate this time by one tall blonde woman, but the other one and a brunette man soon joined them. After a few minutes, Bitty’s scores appeared on the screen: 99.54. Bitty jumped with joy and hugged all of the people sitting with him. Over the cheers of the crowd, the commentator said, “This score places Bittle in second place, from which he probably won’t be moved by the last couple of skaters.” 

The next day, the free skates began and the team gathered around the TV to watch. Bitty was earlier in the lineup this time, skating to Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.” He took full advantage of the changes in tempo, bringing the audience on a journey across the ice, but performing what even Jack knew was a highly technical skate with eight jumps. If he fumbled, Jack didn’t catch it, though the commentator definitely said something about a couple of sloppy arms. 

At the end, Bitty looked spent but happy, collecting more of the thrown gifts before meeting who must be his coach at the gate. She hugged him tightly before his parents practically jumped him. 

Bitty sat down to wipe his face down with a towel and get his blades covered while he waited for his score. The numbers appeared and the announcer said, “178.97,” and Bitty bent over for a moment, his face in his hands, before looking up at the crowd to grin and wave, a couple of tears clearly making their way down his face. 

“That score places Bittle in first place. There are still many skaters to watch, but I have to admit it’s going to be hard to unseat him.” Jack and the rest of the team cheered at that. 

At the awards ceremony, Bitty did indeed win first place, crying and grinning again as he held his gold metal while the American national anthem played in the background. 

_Part 5_

The fifth time Jack saw Bitty, he was twenty-three and Bitty was eighteen. 

It wasn’t long after the Winter Olympics that Eric Bittle announced his intention to attend Samwell University in the fall. “I just want a normal college experience,” he said to the interviewer, “And Samwell, with its experience with well-known athletes, will be able to provide me with that. I’ll be skating with their figure skating team while I’m there, though I also intend to compete in world-wide competitions. I need to make it to my second Olympics after all,” he laughed. 

It was August now, and Jack was heading to Faber for some early morning practice before the rest of the team arrived. When he opened the door, he heard music blasting from the main rink and a woman’s voice shouting over it. 

Curious, Jack redirected his feet to the rink instead of the locker room. With that door open, the music was even louder and the woman’s vocal capacity was even more impressive. 

On the ice was a blond man, clearly focusing on his movements. He skated backwards, picking up speed, before catapulting into a jump. His landing was shaky, though, and he fell onto his butt before laying back on the ice. 

“Katya, it’s no use, I can’t land a quad flip.” 

“You can, Bitty, and you will. Your muscles are just going to keep getting stronger. And you almost had it that time! You just have to be more sure of yourself.” 

Bitty sighed but stood up. “Three more times and then I need to go get ready for class.” 

Jack recognized that spirit of determination to accomplish something hard, and he sat down on a bench to watch and see if Bitty could succeed today. 

It took until the third try, but finally Bitty landed the jump and seemed to complete the right number of rotations because he skated over to Katya and hugged her close, celebrating. Jack slipped out to the locker room while they finished talking about the day’s practice. 

_\+ Part 6_

The sixth time Jack saw Bitty, he was twenty-three and Bitty was eighteen. 

Jack saw the blond head between the shelves of Annie’s, headed toward the counter. It wasn’t long after Jack had seen Bitty skating in Faber, but it was the first time seeing him out around campus. Everyone else in the coffeeshop was staring at Bitty with starry eyes, whispering to each other. Bitty was looking at his phone after making his order, but Jack was sure he was aware of it. 

Making what was probably one of the fastest – and easiest – decisions of his life, Jack walked up to Bitty, held his hand out, and said, “Hi, I’m Jack Zimmermann.”

Bitty looked up, tilting his head to the side for a moment while he thought, and then smiled as realization dawned on him, “You’re the other big skater on campus! My goodness, where are my manners? I’m Eric Bittle, though most people call me Bitty.” 

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Bitty, and I’ve uh- I’ve actually seen you skate a lot over the years.” 

Bitty quirked an eyebrow up, “Big figure skating fan?” 

Jack gave a wry laugh, “Big ice fan, though my cousin did compete against you at nationals in 2008.” 

“Zimmermann, Zimmermann,” Bitty muttered, his forehead creasing while he thought, “Wait, Liam Zimmermann??” 

“That’s the one.”

Bitty’s order was called and he went to pick it up. On the way to a window-side table, he asked, “Oh my goodness, how is he doing?” 

“He’s good! He enjoyed his first year of college – he’s at Wesleyan – and is still skating.” 

“Well, I’m glad to hear it!” 

There was a lull in the conversation before Jack steeled his resolve and said, “Look, I know how hard it can be to be famous to the world and on this campus, and you’re probably even better known to most of America than I am after the Olympics, but I’d love to help you adjust in any way I can. I know it’s nice to have someone to talk to when you’re frustrated about the whispering or excited about a big opportunity but don’t want to sound like you’re bragging or something.” 

Bitty beamed at him, “I really appreciate that, Mr. Zimmermann. I’m sure I’ll take you up on it sometime.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!


End file.
